System and method for providing visual and physiological cues in a matching system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for displaying a match alert. First and second user monitors are configured to communicate with an interrogator to establish the presence of the user monitors in a defined space. An information server is configured to determine whether profiles of the first and the second user profiles match according to matching criteria. If the first and the second user profiles match, matching alert signals comprising matching attributes are sent to first and second match indicators. The first match indicator is visible to the user of the second user monitor so as to be informative to the user of the second user monitor of the matching of the first and second user profiles according to the matching criteria, and the second match indicator is visible to the user of the first user monitor so as to be informative to the user of the first user monitor of the matching of the first and second user profiles according to the matching criteria.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/844,776, filed Aug. 24, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,342,503, whichapplication is incorporated by reference for all purposes and from whichpriority is claimed.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Conceptually, the world can be divided into those with needs and/ordesires and people with potential means of satisfying those needs and/ordesires. For example, a salesperson may be seeking potential clients. Asingle person may be seeking a dating partner. A guitar player may beseeking a drummer. A shopper may be looking for a particular item tobuy. The difficulty has been in bringing the seekers into closeproximity and in providing them sufficient information to allow them todecide if their interests coincide.

Solutions to this problem are sometimes referred to as matching systemsand involve varying mechanisms for assessing whether a profile of theproblem owner and a profile of a solution owner “match” sufficiently toprovide information to at least one of the parties about the other. Forexample, RFID, GPS, and Bluetooth technology has been proposed toidentify individuals with related interests when they are in proximityto each other. If the individuals are sufficiently close to each other,various systems have been combined with profile records to determine ifthe individuals have interests that “match” and, if so, to facilitatethe exchange of location information between the individuals. Ad hocwireless networks have also been described that facilitate such anexchange. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,711,414 and 6,757,719 toLightman et al., 6,977,612 to Bennet, 6,996,402 to Logan, 6,618,593 toDrutman, 6,419,217 and 6,758,397 to Catan, 7,098,793 and 6,961,000 bothto Chung, 6,992,574 to Aupperle, et al., and 7,092,002 to Ferren et al.,U.S. Patent Application 2005/0174975 filed by Mgrdechian, et al., U.S.Patent Application 2007/0030824 filed by Ribaudo et al., U.S. PatentApplication 2006/0256959 filed by Hymes, U.S. Patent Application2007/0096909 filed by Lally, and U.S. Patent Applications 2005/0177614and 2005/0272413 filed by Bourne, all of which are incorporated hereinby reference for all purposes.

These solutions are generally directed to providing information toindividuals having matching profiles. However well designed, suchmatching systems cannot account for the importance of visual cues andother physiological indicators in determining whether to interact withanother person, whether it is for social or business purposes.

What would be useful is an information exchange system that providesvisual and physiological cues to users.

In an embodiment, a first user monitor is configured to transmit a firstresponse signal comprising first identification information to apresence detector establishing a presence of the first user monitorwithin a defined space. A second user monitor is configured to transmita second response signal comprising second identification information tothe presence detector establishing a presence of the second user monitorwithin the defined space. An interrogator is configured to receive theidentification information from the first and second user monitors andto send the identification information to an information server.

In this embodiment, the information server is configured to store afirst user profile comprising information associated with a user of thefirst user monitor and a second user profile comprising informationassociated with a user of the second user monitor and to receive theinformation establishing the presence of the first and the second usermonitors. If the first and second user monitors are present, theinformation server is configured to determine whether the first and thesecond user profiles match according to matching criteria.

If the first and the second user profiles match according to thematching criteria, then send a first matching alert signal comprising afirst matching attribute to a first match indicator and a secondmatching alert signal comprising a second matching attribute to a secondmatch indicator. The first matching attribute is displayed on the firstmatch indicator, wherein the first match indicator is visible to theuser of the second user monitor so as to be informative to the user ofthe second user monitor of the matching of the first and second userprofiles according to the matching criteria. The second matchingattribute is displayed on the second match indicator, wherein the secondmatch indicator is visible to the user of the first user monitor so asto be informative to the user of the first user monitor of the matchingof the first and second user profiles according to the matchingcriteria. In an embodiment, the first matching attribute is unique tothe user of the second user monitor and the second matching attribute isunique to the user of the first user monitor.

By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the user monitor may bean RFID enabled device, a Bluetooth enabled device, a GPS enableddevice, and a WiFi enabled device.

By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the first and secondmatching attributes are selected from the group consisting of abackground color, a background hue, a display color, a display hue, asymbol, text, animation, and an animation rate.

In another embodiment, the information server receives physiologicaldata of the user of the first user monitor from a sensor. A bio responseprocessor located in the first user monitor is configured to receive thephysiological data from the sensor, determine a measure of attraction ofthe user of the first user monitor to the user of the second usermonitor from at least one element of the physiological data and createan attraction attribute indicative of the attraction measure. The bioresponse processor then sends an attraction signal to the first matchindicator comprising the attraction attribute. The first match indicatordisplays the attraction attribute so as to be informative of theattraction of the user of the first user monitor to the user of thesecond user monitor.

In yet another embodiment, the information server receives physiologicaldata of the user of the first user monitor from a sensor. A bio responseprocessor located in the first user monitor is configured to receive thephysiological data from the sensor, determine a measure of truthfulnessof the user of the first user monitor to the user of the second usermonitor from at least one element of the physiological data and create atruthfulness attribute indicative of the truthfulness measure. The bioresponse processor then sends a truthfulness signal to the first matchindicator comprising the truthfulness attribute. The first matchindicator displays the truthfulness attribute so as to be informative ofthe truthfulness of the user of the first user monitor to the user ofthe second user monitor.

In another embodiment, the information server receives profileinformation and physiological data from at least one of the plurality ofusers. The information server determines a measure of truthfulness ofthe user relating to the profile information from at least one elementof the physiological data. The information server then determineswhether the measure of truthfulness is equal to or greater than aminimum threshold value. If the measure of truthfulness is equal to orgreater than a minimum threshold value, the profile information isstored. If the measure of truthfulness is less than the minimumthreshold value, then the profile information is rejected.

By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the physiological dataare selected from the group consisting of a heart rate, a measure ofblood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, a measure of skinresistance, a measure of body temperature, a voice pattern, and ameasure of brain electrical activity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the logical elements of a matching system accordingto an embodiment hereof.

FIG. 2 illustrates a match indicator according to an embodiment hereof.

FIG. 3 illustrates a matching process according to an embodiment hereof.

FIGS. 4A and 4 B illustrate a matching process according to anembodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates the logical elements of an RFID-based matching systemaccording to an embodiment hereof.

FIG. 6 illustrates the logical elements of a matching system using RFIDtags according to an embodiment hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the logical elements of a matching system accordingto an embodiment hereof. Referring to FIG. 1, an information server 110interacts with users A and B, each possessing RFID monitors 138 and 150respectively. Information server 110 comprises a processor 114, a user Arecord 120 and a user B record 122. User A monitor 138 comprisespresence tag A 144, client A 140, communications system A 141, and matchindicator A 142. Presence tag A 144 comprises memory 146 in whichidentifier A 148 is stored. Memory 146 may be read only or programmableread/write memory. User A is associated with identifier A 148 in user Arecord 120 in information server 110. Additionally, information server110 comprises a communications system 124 for communicating with clientsA and B (140 and 152 respectively).

User B monitor 150 comprises presence tag B 156, client B 152,communications system B 153, and match indicator B 154. Presence tag B156 comprises memory B 158 in which identifier B 160 is stored. Memory158 may be read only or programmable read/write memory. User B isassociated with identifier B 160 in user B record 122 in informationserver 110.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, presence tags A and B (144 and156 respectively) are passive devices. By way of illustration and not asa limitation, RFID tags and RFID enabled devices may be used to performthe functions of the presence tags. However, the present invention isnot so limited. Semi-passive or active presence tags may be utilized forpresence tags A and B. While RFID tags are suitable in present-daytechnology, embodiments should not be construed to be limited to thisparticular technology. What is anticipated are objects that can be wornthat perform the functions as noted herein. By way of illustration andnot as a limitation, Bluetooth-enabled devices, GPS-enabled devices, andWiFi-enabled devices may also be used to perform the functions of thepresence tags.

User records A and B (120 and 122 respectively) each comprise a userprofile. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, a user profilecomprises characteristic data and preference data. The characteristicdata may include age, marital status, physical size, physicallimitations, and similar personal information. Preference data, forexample, may include information relevant to establishing a businessrelationship or a social relationship and information related topreferences in food, clothing, sports, entertainment, and music. Thusinformation about the user and information concerning the user'spreference for others are part of the user's profile.

User profile data may be collected from a user via a computer, atelephone, or via a personal interview. In an embodiment, a user isinterviewed and the voice of the user is processed by a voice patternrecognition algorithm to determine whether the answers given by the userare truthful. Detection of stress in a voice pattern algorithm mayindicate that a user is lying or that the particular response is asubject of stress for the user that requires further exploration viaquestions or perhaps human interaction. Users that are not truthful orwho may not be able to complete a questionnaire without a stressreaction are not allowed into the system. As will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, other methods of determining the truthfulnessor stress of a user may be used as well.

Presence detector 130 receives a presence signal from a presence tag(such as 144 and 156) that is within range of the presence detector 130.A presence signal received by presence detector 130 comprises thepresence tag identifier of the responding presence tag (such as 148 and160). The presence detector receives the presence signal and sends thepresence tag identifier and other signal parameters such as strength toinformation processor 114. Information processor 114 stores the locationof the presence detector 130 in association with the presence tagidentifier in the appropriate user record (such as 120 or 122).

The presence signal may be further processed to determine a physicaldistance between a presence tag (such as 148 and 160) and the presencedetector 130. In an embodiment, information processor 114 uses thesignal strength of the presence signal to determine a separationdistance between the presence detector 130 and any given presence tag148, 156. The distance determination may be refined by varying the powerof the query signal transmitted by the presence detector 130 and/orvarying the sensitivity of the presence detector 130 to the presencesignal. In this way, the accuracy of the location of a particular userrelative to an array of presence detectors may be varied to suit aparticular need.

The information server 110 communicates with clients A and B (140 and152 respectively) via links established between communications system A141, communications system B 153, and communications system 124. By wayof illustration and not as a limitation, a client may be a standalonedevice or it may be a communications device such as a cellular phone, apager, a personal data assistant, a transponder, a radio, awalkie-talkie, or a wireless Internet access device. Clients A and B(140 and 152 respectively) may also communicate with information server110 to manage their respective user records, including the user profile.In an embodiment, information server 110 stores the user profilelocally.

Client A further comprises a client A display 170 and a client A userinput 175. Client B further comprises a client B display 180 and aclient B user input 185. Client A display 170 and client B display 180may display messages from information server 110. Client A user input175 and client B user input 185 allow clients A and B respectively tocompose queries and respond to queries from information server 110. Byway of illustration and not as a limitation, client A user input 175 andclient B user input 185 may be touch screens, key pads, pointingdevices, thumbwheels or similar input devices.

In an embodiment, information processor 114 comprises a set of “default”instructions that determine how the profile information of user A anduser B as reflected in user A record 120 and user B record 122 is to berelated or “matched.” For example, the default matching instructions mayrequire that a match will be determined only if the age differencebetween user A and user B is ten years or less. Other more complexmatches are within the scope of the various embodiments and may bemulti-dimensional in nature leading to a “score” related tocompatibility of the match.

In an embodiment, when a determination is made that matching scores ofusers A and B are within an acceptable range or exceed a predeterminedthreshold, a match alert signal is sent from the information server 110via communication system 124 to the clients 140 and 152 of users A andB. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the match alertsignal may comprise audio information, video information, textualinformation, or graphical information. Additionally, the match alertsignal may provide location information of a user where a “match” ispresent or provide directions to the location of a user with whom a“match” exists.

In an embodiment, the match alert signal is passed by the client A 140to a match indicator A 142 worn by user A and by client 152 to matchindicator 154. The match indicator A 142 is visible to user B. User Bwears match indicator B 154 that is visible to user A. When user A anduser B come within proximity to each other, match indicators A and B(142 and 154 respectively) are illuminated in a manner that indicatesthat users A and B have been matched by information processor 114.Additionally, client A display 170 and client B display 180 may beilluminated in a characteristic manner indicative of a match. Otherembodiments may also indicate the strength of the match that is detectedby the information processor 114.

In another embodiment, each user is assigned a display attribute. Thematch alert signal that is sent to user A comprises the displayattribute that is assigned to user B. The match alert signal that issent to user B comprises the display attribute that is assigned to userA. When user A and user B come within proximity to each other, andprovided that their respective profiles have been determined to match,match indicators A and B (142 and 154 respectively) display the displayattribute that has been previously assigned to the other user. By way ofillustration, user A may be assigned the symbol A in a red backgroundand user B may be assigned the symbol B in a blue background. When userA and user B are in proximity to each other, if the profiles of user Aand B match, the match indicator of user A would display a B in a bluebackground and the match indicator of user B would display an A in a redbackground. The display attribute sent to user A may also be displayedon client A display 170 and the display attribute sent to user B mayalso be displayed on client B display 180.

In an embodiment, client 140 “announces” the matching attribute of userA to user B and the matching attribute of user B to user A. Theannouncement may be made by a text message or a synthesized voicemessage or other manner that alerts the respective users. In yet anotherembodiment, the language of the synthesized voice message may beselected by the user.

The default matching instructions may be modified by a preferencesetting in a user profile stored in the user's user record 120, 122. Forexample, if user B's profile requires that the age difference not exceedtwo years, the default matching instructions will be modified to use theage criterion of user B's profile.

In an embodiment, a “match” between the profiles of user A and user B isquantitatively determined. In this embodiment, the default matchinginstructions produce a total matching score by assigning values tospecific matching criteria. The default matching criteria and the weightassigned to a specific criterion may be modified by the user inestablishing the user records 120, 122. If the matching score exceeds athreshold value or is within an acceptable range, the matching score iscommunicated to users A and B through their respective clients (140 and152 respectively) via communications system 124. The user may use theclient (140 and 152 respectively) to request additional information fromthe information server 110 regarding the matching score and/or overridethe matching determination made by the information server 110.

In circumstances where the default matching instructions have beenmodified by a user, or where the match is determined quantitatively, thedisplay attribute may comprise an intensity, hue or saturation componentthat is indicative of the degree of the match. For example, a color, hueand saturation level are assigned to users A and B as a matchingattribute. The matching attribute will display the color having a hueand saturation depending on the level of matching of the users asdetermined by the information processor 114. The matching attributevalues may be different for users A and B depending on whether one orboth of the users' profiles have matching instructions or if either orboth users determine the matching value at their respective clients.Thus user A's match indicator may inform user B that user A is a match(color) but qualitatively low in terms of scoring (hue and saturation).User B's match indicator may inform user A that user B is aqualitatively good match.

Additionally, when a user is in proximity to two potential matches, onlythe match indicator of the “best” match will display the displayattribute of user A. Thus, in a defined space of many users, displayindicators provide a visual cue of a level of commonality betweenindividuals.

In an embodiment, the information server also tracks the matchingattribute assigned to users located in an area of the defined space tominimize duplication of the matching attribute.

In another embodiment, the user profile and user matching instructionsare stored in the client 140. User matching instructions are configuredby the user to meet specific requirements of that user. The informationprocessor 114 determines that users A and B are within a defined spaceand uses the default matching instructions to determine whether theprofiles of users A and B match based on a set of first matchingcriteria. If the profiles match according to these criteria, the profileof user A is sent to the client 152 of user B and the profile of user Bis sent to the client 140 of user A. User A applies user A matchinginstructions to the profile of user B. If a match is determinedaccording to the matching instructions of user A, user A uses client A140 to send a user A matching signal to information processor 114. If amatch is determined according to the matching instructions of user B,user B uses client B 152 to send a user B matching signal to informationprocessor 114.

If information processor 114 receives both the user A matching signaland the user B matching signal, the information processor 114 issues amatch alert signal comprising location and/or contact information tofacilitate a meeting between user A and user B. The match alert signalmay also include display attributes of each user as previouslydescribed.

Alternatively, if information processor 114 receives both the user Amatching signal and the user B matching signal, the match alert signalsent by information processor 114 includes only contact information tothe users. The users then communicate further without the assistance ofthe information server.

The presence components of the system illustrated in FIG. 1 may beimplemented using a variety of technologies. FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate amatching system using RFID tags as the presence tags. Othertechnologies, such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and a GPS system may be usedalone or in combination with each other to provide this functionality.As noted above, various embodiments are not meant to be limited to thesetechnologies. Other technologies may emerge in the future that provide asimilar functionality. These are deemed to be within the scope of theembodiments noted herein. The client components may be custom devicedesigned and built to provide the functions of the client or may bederived from other technologies such as cellphones, smart phones,wireless PDAs, and Bluetooth-compliant device and similar products thathave been adapted to provide the client functions.

FIG. 2 illustrates a match indicator according to an embodiment. A matchindicator A 142 is coupled to client A 140 via client interface A 210.Client A 140 processes a matching alert signal received from informationprocessor 114 as described previously. The matching alert signalreceived by client A 140 comprises a display attribute of user B. Thematching alert signal is passed by client A 140 to match indicator A 142worn by user A. The match indicator A 142 is visible to user B (notillustrated) and displays the display attribute assigned to user B. UserB wears a match indicator B 154 (see FIG. 1) that is visible to user A.When user A and user B come within proximity to each other, matchindicators A and B (142 and 154 respectively, FIG. 1) display thedisplay attribute assigned to user B and A respectively. The matchingattribute may be a color, a symbol, a user identifier, or otherindicator. In an embodiment, client B 152 “announces” the matchingattribute of user A to user B and client A 140 announces the matchingattribute of user B to user A. The announcement may be made by a textmessage or a synthesized voice message or other alerting means such astactile indicators. In yet another embodiment, the language of thesynthesized voice message may be selected by the user.

The match indicator 142 may be an LCD or other type of miniature displaythat is capable of interfacing with the client 140 to perform thefunctions described above and to be described below. The match indicatormay be a discrete device or it may be integrated with any of the otherfunctional elements of the matching system. In one embodiment, the matchindicator is a flat screen that is worn by the user such as a badge,pin, pendant or bracelet. In another embodiment, the functions of thematch indicator are performed by a screen of a cellphone or similardevice that is carried in a holster and attached to a user so as to bevisible to other users of the system.

In yet another embodiment, the match indicator is divided into at leasttwo regions. As illustrated in FIG. 2, match indicator A 142 is dividedinto region X 250 and region Y 260. As previously described, the displayattribute assigned to user B is displayed in region X 250 of the matchindicator.

FIG. 2 also illustrates optional biological response processor A 220 andsensors 230 and 240. In an embodiment, the biological response processorA 220 receives physiological data from user A that is indicative of alevel of attraction of user A to user B. The biological processor A 220applies an attraction algorithm to the received physiological data todetermine whether the level of attraction is positive or negative. Thebiological processor sends an “attraction signal” to the client A 140or, alternatively, the client interface A 210. The attraction signalcomprises an attraction attribute that is displayed in region Y 260.User B can thus not only determine the results of the application of thematching algorithm to the profiles of users A and B but can also monitorinformation about user A's response to user B in real time.Corresponding elements may be used to modify the matching attributedisplayed on match indicator B 154. As previously described, theattributes displayed on match indicator A 142 can also be displayed onclient B display 180.

By way of illustration and not as a limitation, physiological data mayinclude heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, skin resistance,body temperature, voice pattern recognition, and brain electricalactivity. The attraction algorithm may utilize these sensed dataindividually or in combination to produce the attraction signal.

In yet another embodiment, a sensor 230 comprises a microphone thatdetects the voice of user A. User A bio response processor 220 comprisesa voice pattern recognition algorithm that determines whether user A isbeing truthful or otherwise indicates signs of stress when conversingwith user B. User A bio response processor produces a truth/stresssignal that comprises a truth/stress attribute this is displayed inregion Y 260 of user A match indicator 142.

In an alternate embodiment, the sensor-microphone 230 worn by user A isconfigured to detect the voice of user B. User A bio response processor220 produces a truth/stress signal that comprises an audio attributethat can be heard by user A or a display attribute that can be displayedon user A's client display 170 (see FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 illustrates a matching process according to an embodiment. Forease of discussion and not as a limitation, the description that followsapplies the matching process to a user A and a user B.

The presence tag identifiers that are within the defined space areobtained 300. In an embodiment, these identifiers are obtained bypresence detectors at a preset interval. For this discussion, the“presence” identifiers include an identifier associated with a user Aand an identifier associated with a user B. Default matchinginstructions are loaded into an information processor 305. Profiles ofusers A and B are retrieved 310. A determination is made whether theprofile of a user comprises matching criteria 315. If no user matchingcriteria are found, the default matching instructions are applied 325 tothe user profiles of users A and B. If one or more of the user profilescomprise matching criteria, the default matching instructions aremodified to reflect the most restrictive user matching criteria 320.

A determination is made whether the profiles of user A and B “match” 330according to the applied matching instructions. If a match is found, amatch alert signal is sent 335 to the clients of the users for whom amatch has been found and the system causes the attributes of the usersto be displayed on the other user's indicator 340. Thereafter, thesystem awaits new polling data 300. If no matching profiles are found,the system awaits new polling data 300 and repeats the matchingprocedure.

The match alert signal comprises the display attribute assigned to theuser to whom the match alert signal is directed. By way of illustrationand not as a limitation, if the profiles of users A and B are determinedto match, then the match alert signal that is sent to user A comprisesthe display attribute that is assigned to user B. The match alert signalthat is sent to user B comprises the display attribute that is assignedto user A. When user A and user B come within proximity to each other,match indicators A and B (see FIG. 1, 142 and 154 respectively) displaythe display attribute that has been previously assigned to the otheruser 340.

The match alert signal may further comprise audio information, videoinformation, textual information, tactile or graphical information.Additionally, the match alert signal may provide location information ofa user or provide directions to the location of a user. As previouslydescribed, the information in the match alert signal may be conveyed tothe user via the user's client. The user may use the user input (seeFIG. 1, 175 and 185) to request additional information from theinformation server 110 regarding the matching score and/or override thematching determination made by the information server 110.

In an embodiment, when new presence data is received, the matchingprocedure is only applied to newly arrived users.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a matching process according to anembodiment. For ease of discussion and not as a limitation, thedescription that follows applies the matching process to a user A and auser B.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the presence identifiers that are within thedefined space are obtained 400. In an embodiment, these identifiers areobtained by presence detectors at preset (but variable) time intervals.The “presence” identifiers include an identifier associated with a userA and an identifier associated with a user B. Default matchinginstructions are loaded into an information processor 405. Profiles ofusers A and B are retrieved 410. A determination is made whether theprofiles of users A and B match based on a set of first matchingcriteria 415. If no matching profiles are found, the system awaits newpolling data 400 and repeats the matching procedure.

If matching profiles are found, profile information is provided to theclients of the users for whom a match has been found 420. Referring toFIG. 4B, matching profiles have been found for users A and B. Profileinformation of user A is sent to the client of user B and the profileinformation of user B is sent to the client of user A 420.

User A applies user A matching instructions to the profile informationof user B 425. If a match is determined according to the matchinginstructions of user A, user A uses client A to send a user A matchingsignal to an information processor 430. If there is no match accordingto the matching instructions of user A, the process ends 435.

User B applies user B matching instructions to the profile informationof user A 440. If a match is determined according to the matchinginstructions of user B, user B uses client B to send a user B matchingsignal to an information processor 445. If there is no match accordingto the matching instructions of user A, the process ends 450.

A determination is made whether the information processor has receivedboth the user A matching signal and the user B matching signal 460. Ifboth user matching signals are received, the information processorconveys match alert signals to the respective clients of users A and B465.

The match alert signal comprises the display attribute assigned to theuser to whom the match alert signal is directed. By way of illustrationand not as a limitation, a match alert signal that is sent to user Acomprises the display attribute that is assigned to user B. The matchalert signal that is sent to user B comprises the display attribute thatis assigned to user A. When user A and user B come within proximity toeach other, match indicators A and B (see FIG. 1, 142 and 154respectively) display the display attribute that has been previouslyassigned to the other user 470.

If the information processor does not receive a match signal from bothuser A and user B, the system awaits new presence data 400 and repeatsthe matching procedure.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, whether the matchingprocess is performed sequentially or in batch is a matter of systemoptimization. In an embodiment, information processor 114 (FIG. 1)processes the profiles of all present users and stores the resultsbefore issuing matching alerts. In this mode, the matches may be rankedaccording to a matching score. The matching alerts may then be sent inorder of ranking. Alternatively, a user may specify in the user profilethe number of matches to be sent.

In an embodiment, a matching system is implemented at an event, such asa trade show, in which a large number of attendees pre-register. Duringthe registration process, profile information is acquired from potentialattendees. This profile information may be used to provide the potentialattendee an initial indication of whether persons or vendors of interestwill be in attendance at the event. Following registration but prior tothe commencement of the event, the registered attendees may bepre-matched according to default matching instructions. Upon thecommencement of the event, the presence of the registered attendees isdetermined. As attendees with matching profiles come into proximity withone another, matching alert signals are provided as appropriate to theattendees. In another embodiment, a determination is made whether apre-registered attendee has modified his or her profile informationsince registering. If the profile has been modified, the matchingprocess is re-run using the updated information. Additionally, thematching process is run on attendees who did not pre-register.

The behavior of the matching elements may vary depending on whether theprofile information is associated with an individual representing apersonal interest or an individual representing a commercial interest.For example, in the case of an event in which the primary objective isto introduce individuals for social purposes, it might be desirable toprovide an individual control over the disclosure of their personalinformation, location, and contact information. In this application, anacknowledgement of a matching alert signal by both of the match usersmay be desirable prior to initiation of the exchange of information.

In the case where the objective is to match an individual with a productor product information, such as a booth at a trade show, the matchingdata may be sent to the user's client in real time without the need foran acknowledgment. For example, a user may be alerted when the userarrives at the trade show venue and alerted again when the user is inproximity to a display booth that matches the user's profile. Thedisplay booth may comprise multiple matching indicators to allow variousattendees to determine whether the booth represents product informationthat is of interest to the attendee.

The applications to which a matching system incorporating a matchingindicator may be directed are numerous. The distinction between themlies primarily in the types of data provided in the profile/preferencedata associated with the user clients and used to perform the matchingprocess and the way in which the matching information is conveyed tousers. The examples that follow assume that users are present within adefined space determined by the range of the presence detectors used todetect the presence of the presence tags (see FIG. 1, 130, 144 and 156).

In an exemplary application, a matching system operates in a shoppingmall. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a user/shopper has created aprofile on the information server 110 that is stored in user A record120. The user/shopper may create his or her profile before arriving atthe mall using a registration portal 650 (See FIG. 6), or theuser/shopper may utilize a registration server 630 (see FIG. 6)operating at the mall. The user's profile comprises a shopping list ofitems that the user/shopper is interested in purchasing. In theapplication, user B record 122 comprises items that a merchant locatedwithin the mall desires to sell. For example, user B record 122 may beitems that the merchant has on special or the entire inventory of themerchant. Information processor 114 operates matching instructions thatdetermine if there is a match between the shopping list of theuser/shopper and the items of the merchant.

The presence of the user/shopper within the mall is detected by apresence detector 130. If a match has been determined, a match alertsignal is sent to the client A 140 of the user/shopper indicating thatitems of interest to the shopper may be located at a list of merchants.The match alert signal may, for example, identify the items on theshopping list of user/shopper that match the inventories of variousmerchants within the mall. The shopper proceeds to a merchant identifiedin the match alert signal.

A client B 152 and a match indicator B 154 are associated with items forsale at the merchant location. The location of the user/shopper withinthe mall is determined by reference to the location of the presencedetector that is in receipt of the presence identifier 148 from presencetag A 144. The direction in which the user/shopper is walking can bedetermined by mapping the location of presence tag A 144 over time.Another match alert signal may be sent to the client B 152 when theuser/shopper is in proximity to an item on the shopper's list. The matchindicator B 154 then displays the display attribute assigned to theshopper. In this embodiment, the display attribute may comprise theshopper's name.

In another exemplary implementation, a matching system is operated in asocial club in which individuals desiring to meet other individualscongregate. In this implementation, user A is associated with user Apresence monitor 138 and user B is associated with user B presencemonitor 150. Matching instructions are applied to the user profiles ofuser A and user B and a match is found. The match alert signal is passedby the client A 140 to a match indicator A 142 worn by user A. The matchindicator A 142 is visible to user B. User B wears a match indicator B154 that is visible to user A. When user A and user B come withinproximity to each other, match indicators A and B (142 and 154respectively) display a display attribute that has been previouslyassigned to the user. By way of illustration, user A may be assigned thesymbol A in a red background and user B may be assigned the symbol B ina blue background. When user A and user B are in proximity to eachother, the match indicator of user A would display a B in a bluebackground and the match indicator of user B would display an A in a redbackground. The intensity and/or hue of the background color may bevaried to indicate the degree to which the profiles match. Additionally,when user A is in proximity to two potential matches, only the matchindicator of the “best” match will display the display attribute of userA. Thus, in a defined space of many users, display indicators provide avisual cue of a level of commonality between individuals.

In a variation of this application, users not only wear a user monitorbut a presence detector 130 as well. In this application, the presencedetector communicates with information server 110 via a wireless link.By placing the presence detector on the user and controlling the pollingsignal strength and/or receiver sensitivity of the presence detector,the threshold proximity of users to each other before a matching alertsignal is sent can be reduced. As a result, the match indicators wouldbe triggered only when individuals are “next” to each other, allowingthe match indicator to be highly targeted.

A matching system may be implemented using a variety of technologies.FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a matching system using RFID technology.

FIG. 5 illustrates the logical elements of a matching system accordingto an embodiment hereof. Referring to FIG. 5, an information server 510comprises an information processor 514, a user A record 520 and a user Brecord 522. User A RFID monitor 538 comprises RFID tag A 544, RFIDclient A 540, communications system A 541, and match indicator A 542.RFID tag A 544 comprises memory 546 in which identifier A 548 is stored.Memory 546 may be read only or programmable read/write memory. User A isassociated with identifier A 548 in user A record 520 in informationserver 510. Additionally, information server 510 comprises acommunications system 524 for communicating with RFID clients A and B(540 and 552 respectively).

User B RFID monitor 550 comprises RFID tag B 556, RFID client B 552,communications system B 553, and match indicator B 554. RFID tag B 556comprises memory B 558 in which identifier B 560 is stored. Memory 558may be read only or programmable read/write memory. User B is associatedwith identifier B 560 in user B record 522 in information server 510.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, RFID tags A and B (544 and 556respectively) are passive devices. However, the present invention is notso limited. Semi-passive or active RFID tags may be utilized for RFIDtags A and B.

User records A and B (520 and 522 respectively) each comprise a userprofile. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, a user profilecomprises characteristic data and preference data. The characteristicdata may include age, marital status, physical size, physicallimitations, and similar personal information. Preference data, forexample, may include information relevant to establishing a businessrelationship or a social relationship and information related topreferences in food, clothing, sports, entertainment, and music.

RFID interrogator 530 transmits a polling signal that is received by anRFID tag (such as 544 and 556) that is within range of the RFIDinterrogator 530. The RFID tag reflects the polling signal back to theRFID interrogator 530. The reflected signal comprises the RFID tagidentifier of the responding RFID tag (such as 548 and 560). The RFIDinterrogator receives the reflected signal and sends the RFID tagidentifier to information processor 514. Information processor 514stores the location of the RFID interrogator 530 in association with theRFID tag identifier in the appropriate user record (such as 520 or 522).

The reflected signal may be further processed to determine a distancebetween an RFID tag and an RFID interrogator 530. In an embodiment,information processor 514 uses the signal strength of the reflectedsignal to determine a separation distance. The distance determinationmay be refined by varying the power of the query signal transmitted byRFID interrogator 530 and/or varying the sensitivity of the RFIDinterrogator 530 to the reflected signal. In this way, the accuracy ofthe location of a particular user relative to an array of RFIDinterrogators may be varied to suit a particular need.

The information server 510 communicates with RFID clients A and B (540and 552 respectively) via links established between communicationssystem A 541, communications system B 553, and communications system524. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, an RFID client maybe a standalone device or it may be communications devices such as acellular phone, a pager, a personal data assistant, a transponder, aradio, a walkie-talkie, or a wireless Internet access device. RFIDclients A and B (540 and 552 respectively) may also communicate withinformation server 510 to manage their respective user records,including the user profile. In an embodiment, RFID client 510 stores theuser profile locally.

RFID client A further comprises a client A display 570 and a client Auser input 575. RFID client B further comprises a client B display 580and a client B user input 585. Client A display 570 and client B display580 may display messages from information server 510. Client A userinput 575 and client B user input 585 allow clients A and B respectivelyto compose queries and respond to queries from information server 510.By way of illustration and not as a limitation, client A user input 575and client B user input 585 may be touch screens, key pads, pointingdevices, thumbwheels or similar input devices.

In an embodiment, information processor 515 comprises a set of “default”instructions that determine how the profile information of user A anduser B as reflected in user A record 520 and user B record 522 is to berelated or “matched.” For example, the default matching instructions mayrequire that a match will be determined only if the age differencebetween user A and user B is ten years or less.

The default matching instructions may be modified by a preferencesetting in a user profile. For example, if user B's profile requiresthat the age difference not exceed two years, the default matchinginstructions will be modified to use the age criterion of user B'sprofile.

In an embodiment, a “match” between the profiles of user A and user B isquantitatively determined. In this embodiment, the default matchinginstructions produce a total matching score by assigning values tospecific matching criteria. The default matching criteria and the weightassigned to a specific criterion may be modified by the user profile. Ifthe matching score exceeds a threshold value, the matching score iscommunicated to users A and B through their respective RFID clients (540and 552 respectively) via communications system 524.

In an embodiment, when a determination is made that the matching scoreof users A and B exceeds the threshold, a match alert signal is sentfrom the information server 510 to the RFID clients 540 and 552 of usersA and B. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the matchalert signal may comprise audio information, video information, textualinformation, or graphical information. Additionally, the match alertsignal may provide location information of a user or provide directionsto the location of a user. The user may use the RFID client (such as 540and 552) to request additional information from the information server510 regarding the matching score and/or override the matchingdetermination made by the information server 510.

In an embodiment, the match alert signal is passed by the RFID client A540 to a match indicator A 542 worn by user A. The match indicator A 542is visible to user B. User B wears a match indicator B 554 that isvisible to user A. When user A and user B come within proximity to eachother, match indicators A and B (542 and 554 respectively) display thematching attribute. The matching attribute may be a color, a symbol, auser identifier, or other indicator. In an embodiment, RFID client 540“announces” the matching attribute of user A to user B and the matchingattribute of user B to user A. The announcement may be made by a textmessage or a synthesized voice message or other type of alertingstimuli. In yet another embodiment, the language of the synthesizedvoice message may be selected by the user.

In an embodiment, the information server also tracks the matchingattribute assigned to users located in an area of the defined space tominimize duplication of the matching attribute.

In another embodiment, the user profile and user matching instructionsare stored in the RFID client 540. User matching instructions areconfigured by the user to meet specific requirements of that user. Theinformation server 510 determines that users A and B are within adefined space and uses the default matching instructions to determinewhether the profiles of users A and B match based on a set of firstmatching criteria. If the profiles match according to these criteria,the profile of user A is sent to the RFID client 552 of user B and theprofile of user B is sent to the RFID client 540 of user A. User Aapplies user A matching instructions to the profile of user B. If amatch is determined according to the matching instructions of user A,user A uses RFID client A 540 to send a user A matching signal toinformation processor 514. If a match is determined according to thematching instructions of user B, user B uses RFID client B 552 to send auser B matching signal to information processor 514.

If information processor 514 receives both the user A matching signaland the user B matching signal, the information processor 514facilitates a meeting between user A and user B by providing locationand/or contact information.

Alternatively, if information processor 514 receives both the user Amatching signal and the user B matching signal, the informationprocessor 514 sends only contact information to the users. The usersthen communicate further without the assistance of the informationserver.

FIG. 6 illustrates an RFID-based matching system (RMS) configured for adefined space. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, a definedspace may include a convention hall, a sports arena, a bar, countryclub, a shopping mall, an area within a city such as a shopping orcommercial district or other place where people of similar interestsgather.

Users of the RMS are assigned a user RFID monitor. In FIG. 6, user RFIDmonitor A 538 and user RFID monitor B 550 are illustrated. However, thisis not meant to be a limitation. It is anticipated that many users ofthe RMS will be in the defined space simultaneously with each assigned auser RFID monitor.

RFID interrogators 530 are situated within the defined space and keeptrack of the locations of each of the RFID tags. The RFID interrogatorscommunicate with the information server 510 via matching network 610 andwith user RFID monitors A and B via wireless network 605. Because thelocation of RFID interrogators is known, the relative movement of a usercan be tracked and the location of the user approximated. Thisinformation can be provided to another user via the user RFID monitor.

In an embodiment, information server 510 is accessible to users of theRMS through a registration server 630 and through a registration portal650 via Internet 640. Users of the RMS system may register with theinformation server 510, create and/or update the user record, and modifythe user profile maintained on information server 510 through theseaccess points. For example, the registration server 630 may be in akiosk within a shopping mall or at a registration desk for a conference.In addition, a user may access information server 510 from the RFIDclient associated with the user.

It will also be understood that the invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the scope of the inventiondisclosed and that the examples and embodiments described herein are inall respects illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the artof the present invention will recognize that other embodiments using theconcepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference toclaim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,”“can,” or “the,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to thesingular.

1. A match alert display system comprising: match indicators, whereinthe match indicators are responsive to matching alert signals and areconfigured to display matching attributes conveyed by the matching alertsignals; a first user monitor, wherein the first user monitor isconfigured to transmit a first response signal comprising firstidentification information to a presence detector establishing apresence of the first user monitor within a defined space; a second usermonitor, wherein the second user monitor is configured to transmit asecond response signal comprising second identification information tothe presence detector establishing a presence of the second user monitorwithin the defined space; the presence detector, wherein the presencedetector comprises instructions for receiving the identificationinformation from the first and second user monitors and sending theidentification information to an information server, wherein theinformation server comprises: a memory, wherein the memory comprises afirst user profile comprising information associated with a user of thefirst user monitor and a second user profile comprising informationassociated with a user of the second user monitor; and an informationprocessor, wherein the information processor comprises instructions for:receiving the information establishing the presence of the first and thesecond user monitors; if the first and second user monitors are present,then determining whether the first and the second user profiles matchaccording to first matching criteria; if the first and the second userprofiles match according to the first matching criteria, generating andsending a preliminary matching signal to the first and second usermonitors, wherein the preliminary matching signal sent to the first usermonitor comprises profile information of the second user and wherein thepreliminary matching signal sent to the second user monitor comprisesprofile information of the first user, and wherein the first usermonitor comprises instructions for: applying a first user matchingcriteria to local profile information of the first user and to theprofile information of the second user; and if the first user monitordetermines that the local profile information of the first user and theprofile information of the second user match according to the first usermatching criteria, then generating and sending a first matching alertsignal comprising a first matching attribute to the informationprocessor, and wherein the second user monitor comprises instructionsfor: applying a second user matching criteria to local profileinformation of the second user and to the profile information of thefirst user; and if the second user monitor determines that the localprofile information of the second user and the profile information ofthe first user match according to the second user matching criteria,then generating and sending a second matching alert signal comprising asecond matching attribute to the information processor, and wherein theinformation processor further comprises instructions for if both thefirst and the second matching alert signals are received, thengenerating and sending a first confirmed matching alert signalcomprising a first matching attribute to a first match indicator andgenerating and sending a second confirmed matching alert signalcomprising a second matching attribute to a second match indicator,wherein the first matching attribute is unique to the user of the seconduser monitor and the second matching attribute is unique to the user ofthe first user monitor and wherein, the first match indicator is visibleto the user of the second user monitor and wherein the first matchindicator displays the second user matching attribute so as to beinformative to the user of the second user monitor of the matching ofthe first and second user profiles according to the first and seconduser matching criteria, and wherein the second match indicator isvisible to the user of the first user monitor and wherein the secondmatch indicator displays the first user matching attribute so as to beinformative to the user of the first user monitor of the matching of thefirst and second user profiles according to the first and second usermatching criteria.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond user monitors are selected from the group consisting of anRFID-enabled device, a Bluetooth-enabled device, a GPS-enabled device, aWiFi-enabled device, a cellphone, a smart phone, and a wireless PDA. 3.The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second matching attributesare selected from the group consisting of a background color, abackground hue, a display color, a display hue, a symbol, text,animation, and an animation rate.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thefirst matching attribute comprises a first quantitative measure andwherein the first quantitative measure is visible to the user of thesecond user monitor so as to be informative to the user of the seconduser monitor of a degree to which the first and second user profilesmatch according to the matching criteria; and wherein the secondmatching attribute comprises a second quantitative measure and whereinthe second quantitative measure is visible to the user of the first usermonitor so as to be informative to the user of the first user monitor ofthe degree to which the first and second user profiles match accordingto the matching criteria.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstuser monitor further comprises: a sensor responsive to physiologicaldata of the user of the first user monitor; and a bio responseprocessor, wherein the bio response processor comprises instructionsfor: receiving the physiological data from the sensor; determining ameasure of attraction of the user of the first user monitor to the userof the second user monitor from at least one element of thephysiological data; creating an attraction attribute indicative of theattraction measure; and sending an attraction signal to the first matchindicator comprising the attraction attribute, wherein the first matchindicator displays the attraction attribute so as to be informative ofthe attraction of the user of the first user monitor to the user of thesecond user monitor.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the physiologicaldata are selected from the group consisting of a heart rate, a measureof blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, a measure of skinresistance, a measure of body temperature, a voice pattern, and ameasure of brain electrical activity.
 7. The system of claim 1, whereinthe first user monitor further comprises: a sensor responsive tophysiological data of the user of the first user monitor; and a bioresponse processor, wherein the bio response processor comprisesinstructions for: receiving the physiological data from the sensor;determining a measure of truthfulness of the user of the first usermonitor in conversing with the user of the second user monitor from atleast one element of the physiological data; creating a truthfulnessattribute indicative of the truthfulness measure; and sending atruthfulness signal to the first match indicator comprising thetruthfulness attribute, wherein the first match indicator displays thetruthfulness attribute so as to be informative of the truthfulness ofthe user of the first user monitor in conversing with the user of thesecond user monitor.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the physiologicaldata are selected from the group consisting of a heart rate, a measureof blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, a measure of skinresistance, a measure of body temperature, a voice pattern, and ameasure of brain electrical activity.
 9. The system of claim 1, whereinthe memory of the information server further comprises profileinformation of a plurality of users including the first and second usersand wherein the information processor comprises instructions for:receiving profile information proffered by at least one of the pluralityof users; receiving physiological data from the at least one user;determining a measure of truthfulness of the at least one user relatingto the proffered profile information of the at least one user from atleast one element of the physiological data; determining whether themeasure of truthfulness is equal to or greater than a minimum thresholdvalue; if the measure of truthfulness is equal to or greater than aminimum threshold value, then storing the proffered profile informationof the at least one user; and if the measure of truthfulness is lessthan the minimum threshold value, then rejecting the proffered profileinformation.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the physiological dataare selected from the group consisting of a heart rate, a measure ofblood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, a measure of skinresistance, a measure of body temperature, a voice pattern, and ameasure of brain electrical activity.
 11. A method for displaying amatch alert comprising: configuring a first user monitor to transmit afirst response signal comprising first identification information to apresence detector establishing a presence of the first user monitorwithin a defined space; configuring a second user monitor to transmit asecond response signal comprising second identification information tothe presence detector establishing a presence of the second user monitorwithin the defined space; configuring the presence detector to receivethe identification information from the first and second user monitorsand to send the identification information to an information server;configuring the information server to: store a first user profilecomprising information associated with a user of the first user monitorand a second user profile comprising information associated with a userof the second user monitor; receive the information establishing thepresence of the first and the second user monitors; if the first andsecond user monitors are present, then determine whether the first andthe second user profiles match according to matching criteria; and ifthe first and the second user profiles match according to the matchingcriteria, then generate and send a preliminary matching signal to thefirst and second user monitors, wherein the preliminary matching signalsent to the first user monitor comprises profile information of thesecond user and wherein the preliminary matching signal sent to thesecond user monitor comprises profile information of the first user;configuring the first user monitor to: apply a first user matchingcriteria to local profile information of the first user and to theprofile information of the second user; and if the first user monitordetermines that the local profile information of the first user and theprofile information of the second user match according to the first usermatching criteria, then generate and send a first matching alert signalcomprising a first matching attribute to the information processor; andconfiguring the second user monitor to: apply a second user matchingcriteria to local profile information of the second user and to theprofile information of the first user; and if the second user monitordetermines that the local profile information of the second user and theprofile information of the first user match according to the second usermatching criteria, then generate and send a second matching alert signalcomprising a second matching attribute to the information processor, andfurther configuring the information processor to, if both the first andthe second matching alert signals are received, generate and send afirst confirmed matching alert signal comprising a first matchingattribute to a first match indicator and generate and send a secondconfirmed matching alert signal comprising a second matching attributeto a second match indicator, wherein the first matching attribute isunique to the user of the second user monitor and the second matchingattribute is unique to the user of the first user monitor and wherein,the first match indicator is visible to the user of the second usermonitor and wherein the first match indicator displays the second usermatching attribute so as to be informative to the user of the seconduser monitor of the matching of the first and second user profilesaccording to the first and second user matching criteria, and whereinthe second match indicator is visible to the user of the first usermonitor and wherein the second match indicator displays the first usermatching attribute so as to be informative to the user of the first usermonitor of the matching of the first and second user profiles accordingto the first and second user matching criteria.
 12. The method of claim11, wherein the first and second user monitors are selected from thegroup consisting of an RFID-enabled device, a Bluetooth-enabled device,a GPS-enabled device, a WiFi-enabled device, a cellphone, a smart phone,and a wireless PDA.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first andsecond matching attributes are selected from the group consisting of abackground color, a background hue, a display color, a display hue, asymbol, text, animation, and an animation rate.
 14. The method of claim11, wherein the first matching attribute comprises a first quantitativemeasure and wherein the first quantitative measure is visible to theuser of the second user monitor so as to be informative to the user ofthe second user monitor of a degree to which the first and second userprofiles match according to the matching criteria; and wherein thesecond matching attribute comprises a second quantitative measure andwherein the second quantitative measure is visible to the user of thefirst user monitor so as to be informative to the user of the first usermonitor of the degree to which the first and second user profiles matchaccording to the matching criteria.
 15. The method of claim 11, whereinthe first user monitor further comprises: a sensor responsive tophysiological data of the user of the first user monitor; and a bioresponse processor, wherein the bio response processor comprisesinstructions for: receiving the physiological data from the sensor;determining a measure of attraction of the user of the first usermonitor to the user of the second user monitor from at least one elementof the physiological data; creating an attraction attribute indicativeof the attraction measure; and sending an attraction signal to the firstmatch indicator comprising the attraction attribute, wherein the firstmatch indicator displays the attraction attribute so as to beinformative of the attraction of the user of the first user monitor tothe user of the second user monitor.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe physiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 17. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the first user monitor further comprises: a sensorresponsive to physiological data of the user of the first user monitor;and a bio response processor, wherein the bio response processorcomprises instructions for: receiving the physiological data from thesensor; determining a measure of truthfulness of the user of the firstuser monitor in conversing with the user of the second user monitor fromat least one element of the physiological data; creating a truthfulnessattribute indicative of the truthfulness measure; and sending atruthfulness signal to the first match indicator comprising thetruthfulness attribute, wherein the first match indicator displays thetruthfulness attribute so as to be informative of the truthfulness ofthe user of the first user monitor in conversing with the user of thesecond user monitor.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thephysiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 19. The method ofclaim 11 further comprising: receiving at the information server profileinformation proffered by at least one of a plurality of users; receivingphysiological data from the at least one user; determining a measure oftruthfulness of the at least one user relating to the proffered profileinformation of the at least one user from at least one element of thephysiological data; determining whether the measure of truthfulness isequal to or greater than a minimum threshold value; if the measure oftruthfulness is equal to or greater than a minimum threshold value, thenstoring the proffered profile information of the at least one user; andif the measure of truthfulness is less than the minimum threshold value,then rejecting the proffered profile information.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the physiological data are selected from the groupconsisting of a heart rate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure ofbreathing rate, a measure of skin resistance, a measure of bodytemperature, a voice pattern, and a measure of brain electricalactivity.
 21. A match alert display system comprising: match indicators,wherein the match indicators are responsive to matching alert signalsand are configured to display matching attributes conveyed by thematching alert signals; a first user monitor, wherein the first usermonitor is configured to transmit a first response signal comprisingfirst identification information to a presence detector establishing apresence of the first user monitor within a defined space; a second usermonitor, wherein the second user monitor is configured to transmit asecond response signal comprising second identification information tothe presence detector establishing a presence of the second user monitorwithin the defined space; the presence detector, wherein the presencedetector comprises instructions for receiving the identificationinformation from the first and second user monitors and sending theidentification information to an information server, wherein theinformation server comprises: a memory, wherein the memory comprises afirst user profile comprising information associated with a user of thefirst user monitor and a second user profile comprising informationassociated with a user of the second user monitor; and an informationprocessor, wherein the information processor comprises instructions for:receiving the information establishing the presence of the first and thesecond user monitors; if the first and second user monitors are present,then determining whether the first and the second user profiles matchaccording to matching criteria; if the first and the second userprofiles match according to the matching criteria, generating andsending a first matching alert signal comprising a first matchingattribute to the first user monitor and generating and sending a secondmatching alert signal comprising a second matching attribute to thesecond user monitor, wherein the first matching attribute is unique tothe user of the second user monitor and the second matching attribute isunique to the user of the first user monitor, and wherein the first usermonitor is further configured to communicate the first matchingattribute to the first match indicator, and wherein the second usermonitor is further configured to communicate the second matchingattribute to the second match indicator, and wherein the first matchindicator is visible to the user of the second user monitor and whereinthe first match indicator displays the first matching attribute so as tobe informative to the user of the second user monitor of the matching ofthe first and second user profiles according to the matching criteria,and wherein the second match indicator is visible to the user of thefirst user monitor and wherein the second match indicator displays thesecond matching attribute so as to be informative to the user of thefirst user monitor of the matching of the first and second user profilesaccording to the matching criteria.
 22. The system of claim 21, whereinthe first and second user monitors are selected from the groupconsisting of an RFID-enabled device, a Bluetooth-enabled device, aGPS-enabled device, a WiFi-enabled device, a cellphone, a smart phone,and a wireless PDA.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the first andsecond matching attributes are selected from the group consisting of abackground color, a background hue, a display color, a display hue, asymbol, text, animation, and an animation rate.
 24. The system of claim21, wherein the first matching attribute comprises a first quantitativemeasure and wherein the first quantitative measure is visible to theuser of the second user monitor so as to be informative to the user ofthe second user monitor of a degree to which the first and second userprofiles match according to the matching criteria; and wherein thesecond matching attribute comprises a second quantitative measure andwherein the second quantitative measure is visible to the user of thefirst user monitor so as to be informative to the user of the first usermonitor of the degree to which the first and second user profiles matchaccording to the matching criteria.
 25. The system of claim 21, whereinthe first user monitor further comprises: a sensor responsive tophysiological data of the user of the first user monitor; and a bioresponse processor, wherein the bio response processor comprisesinstructions for: receiving the physiological data from the sensor;determining a measure of attraction of the user of the first usermonitor to the user of the second user monitor from at least one elementof the physiological data; creating an attraction attribute indicativeof the attraction measure; and sending an attraction signal to the firstmatch indicator comprising the attraction attribute, wherein the firstmatch indicator displays the attraction attribute so as to beinformative of the attraction of the user of the first user monitor tothe user of the second user monitor.
 26. The system of claim 25, whereinthe physiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 27. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the first user monitor further comprises: a sensorresponsive to physiological data of the user of the first user monitor;and a bio response processor, wherein the bio response processorcomprises instructions for: receiving the physiological data from thesensor; determining a measure of truthfulness of the user of the firstuser monitor in conversing with the user of the second user monitor fromat least one element of the physiological data; creating a truthfulnessattribute indicative of the truthfulness measure; and sending atruthfulness signal to the first match indicator comprising thetruthfulness attribute, wherein the first match indicator displays thetruthfulness attribute so as to be informative of the truthfulness ofthe user of the first user monitor in conversing with the user of thesecond user monitor.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein thephysiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 29. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the memory of the information server further comprisesprofile information of a plurality of users including the first andsecond users and wherein the information processor comprisesinstructions for: receiving profile information proffered by at leastone of the plurality of users; receiving physiological data from the atleast one user; determining a measure of truthfulness of the at leastone user relating to the proffered profile information of the at leastone user from at least one element of the physiological data;determining whether the measure of truthfulness is equal to or greaterthan a minimum threshold value; if the measure of truthfulness is equalto or greater than a minimum threshold value, then storing the profferedprofile information of the at least one user; and if the measure oftruthfulness is less than the minimum threshold value, then rejectingthe proffered profile information.
 30. The system of claim 29, whereinthe physiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 31. A method fordisplaying a match alert comprising: configuring a first user monitor totransmit a first response signal comprising first identificationinformation to a presence detector establishing a presence of the firstuser monitor within a defined space; configuring a second user monitorto transmit a second response signal comprising second identificationinformation to the presence detector establishing a presence of thesecond user monitor within the defined space; configuring the presencedetector to receive the identification information from the first andsecond user monitors and to send the identification information to aninformation server; configuring the information server to: store a firstuser profile comprising information associated with a user of the firstuser monitor and a second user profile comprising information associatedwith a user of the second user monitor; receive the informationestablishing the presence of the first and the second user monitors; ifthe first and second user monitors are present, then determine whetherthe first and the second user profiles match according to matchingcriteria; and if the first and the second user profiles match accordingto the matching criteria, then send a first matching alert signalcomprising a first matching attribute to the first user monitor andsending a second matching alert signal comprising a second matchingattribute to the second user monitor, wherein the first matchingattribute is unique to the user of the second user monitor and thesecond matching attribute is unique to the user of the first usermonitor; communicating the first matching attribute from the first usermonitor to a first match indicator; displaying the first matchingattribute on the first match indicator, wherein the first matchindicator is visible to the user of the second user monitor so as to beinformative to the user of the second user monitor of the matching ofthe first and second user profiles according to the matching criteria;communicating the second matching attribute from the second user monitorto a second match indicator; and displaying the second matchingattribute on the second match indicator, wherein the second matchindicator is visible to the user of the first user monitor so as to beinformative to the user of the first user monitor of the matching of thefirst and second user profiles according to the matching criteria. 32.The method of claim 31, wherein the first and second user monitors areselected from the group consisting of an RFID-enabled device, aBluetooth-enabled device, a GPS-enabled device, a WiFi-enabled device, acellphone, a smart phone, and a wireless PDA.
 33. The method of claim31, wherein the first and second matching attributes are selected fromthe group consisting of a background color, a background hue, a displaycolor, a display hue, a symbol, text, animation, and an animation rate.34. The method of claim 31, wherein the first matching attributecomprises a first quantitative measure and wherein the firstquantitative measure is visible to the user of the second user monitorso as to be informative to the user of the second user monitor of adegree to which the first and second user profiles match according tothe matching criteria; and wherein the second matching attributecomprises a second quantitative measure and wherein the secondquantitative measure is visible to the user of the first user monitor soas to be informative to the user of the first user monitor of the degreeto which the first and second user profiles match according to thematching criteria.
 35. The method of claim 31 further comprising:receiving physiological data of the user of the first user monitor froma sensor; and configuring a bio response processor located in the firstuser monitor to: receive the physiological data from the sensor;determine a measure of attraction of the user of the first user monitorto the user of the second user monitor from at least one element of thephysiological data; create an attraction attribute indicative of theattraction measure; and send an attraction signal to the first matchindicator comprising the attraction attribute, wherein the first matchindicator displays the attraction attribute so as to be informative ofthe attraction of the user of the first user monitor to the user of thesecond user monitor.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein thephysiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 37. The method ofclaim 31 further comprising: receiving physiological data of the user ofthe first user monitor from a sensor; and configuring a bio responseprocessor located in the first user monitor to: receive thephysiological data from the sensor; determine a measure of truthfulnessof the user of the first user monitor to the user of the second usermonitor from at least one element of the physiological data; create atruthfulness attribute indicative of the truthfulness measure; and senda truthfulness signal to the first match indicator comprising thetruthfulness attribute, wherein the first match indicator displays thetruthfulness attribute so as to be informative of the truthfulness ofthe user of the first user monitor to the user of the second usermonitor.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein the physiological data areselected from the group consisting of a heart rate, a measure of bloodpressure, a measure of breathing rate, a measure of skin resistance, ameasure of body temperature, a voice pattern, and a measure of brainelectrical activity.
 39. The method of claim 31 further comprising:receiving at the information server profile information proffered by atleast one of a plurality of users; receiving physiological data from theat least one user; determining a measure of truthfulness of the at leastone user relating to the proffered profile information of the at leastone user from at least one element of the physiological data;determining whether the measure of truthfulness is equal to or greaterthan a minimum threshold value; if the measure of truthfulness is equalto or greater than a minimum threshold value, then storing the profferedprofile information of the at least one user; and if the measure oftruthfulness is less than the minimum threshold value, then rejectingthe proffered profile information.
 40. The method of claim 39, whereinthe physiological data are selected from the group consisting of a heartrate, a measure of blood pressure, a measure of breathing rate, ameasure of skin resistance, a measure of body temperature, a voicepattern, and a measure of brain electrical activity.
 41. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the first and second match indicators are integratedwith the first and second user monitors.
 42. The method of claim 12,wherein the first and second match indicators are integrated with thefirst and second user monitors.
 43. The system of claim 22, wherein thefirst and second match indicators are integrated with the first andsecond user monitors.
 44. The method of claim 32, wherein the first andsecond match indicators are integrated with the first and second usermonitors.